For years, you've heard that an apple a day could help keep the doctor away. Now, a new study is getting a bit closer to uncovering the reason why. Apple skins are high in antioxidants, particularly a trace mineral called selenium. A recent study found that individuals with a high level of selenium in their blood had a 34 percent lower risk of developing a colon cancer compared to those with the lowest levels of selenium. This doesn't necessarily mean that maintaining high levels of selenium is effective if your levels are already adequate. But it does indicate that not getting enough selenium in your diet or through supplementation puts you in a higher risk group. To determine how much selenium you might be getting, you need to think about your diet, and the soil where you live. Some researchers believe that the nutritional value of conventionally grown foods is lower than their organic counterparts due to soil depletion and erosion, which means not enough selenium for many of us. Which brings us to the apple...and the other good food sources of selenium you should consider eating more of to make up for what you might be lacking. Brazil nuts are another powerhouse source of selenium, as are protein foods such as fish, meat, poultry, cereals and grains. And opting for organic versions of these foods will increase how much of the nutrient you get. Since it's difficult to tell just how much selenium your foods really contain, Dr. Wright suggests that his patients supplement with 200-500 micrograms of selenium a day. However, selenium can be toxic at high doses, so you should work closely with a nutritional physician to be safe. In addition to preventing colorectal cancer, research is showing selenium's promise in keeping you safe from other kinds of cancer as well, such as breast and prostate cancer. Selenium is also essential for functioning of the immune system and thyroid gland, and has an important role in the development, growth, metabolism and defense of the body. ****************************************************
Poker face Q: I have had chronic back pain for years, sometimes laying me up for weeks. My doctor is advising surgery but I don't think I want to go that route. My wife's sister just had some kind of treatment of injections of sugar for her back pain and it really seemed to help. What exactly is it and do you think this is something worth looking into? JVW: You are probably referring to a treatment called prolotherapy. It's also known as non-surgical ligament reconstruction, and believe it or not, the practice dates back to Hippocrates, who treated soldiers with injured shoulders by inserting a hot poker into the joint. This caused inflammation that then triggered the body's natural wound healing response, generating new tissue to heal the area. Today's prolotherapy isn't nearly as rudimentary. Instead of hot pokers, physicians use a sugar-based solution to stimulate the body's natural healing response to promote growth and repair. Injuries cause ligaments to stretch like a rubber band beyond their normal length. As they heal, they should go back to their original shape. When they don't, the laxity causes instability and pain in the area. The new tissue created by prolotherapy injections shrinks as it ages, tightening and strengthening the area and reducing the pain. Numerous studies demonstrate the effectiveness of prolotherapy, which usually involves a series of injections that are performed by a professional trained specifically in this procedure. You can search for a doctor in your area that practices this therapy by going to www.getprolo.com, or contact the American College for the Advancement of Medicine (949-583-7666, 800-532-3688 or www.acam.org). ****************************************************
What is...the fibro-osseous junction? The fibro-osseous junction is where the ligaments and tendons attach to the bone, and it is widely regarded as one of the most sensitive structures of the body. Ligaments are weakest where they attach to bone, and the periosteum, or the covering of the bone where they connect, ranks first on the scale of pain sensitivity, followed by ligaments, tendons, fascia (the connective tissue that surrounds the muscle), and finally muscle. This is where the cause of chronic pain lies for many individuals. Prolotherapy injections target this area for healing, and why it has such a high rate of success. Yours in good health,
Amanda Ross
Managing Editor
Nutrition & Healing Sources:
Dodig S, Cepelak I. "The facts and controversies about selenium." Acta Pharm 2004; 54(4): 261-276
Jacobs ET, et.al. "Selenium and colorectal adenoma: results of a pooled analysis." J Natl Cancer Inst. 2004; 96(22): 1,669-1,675
Hooper RA Ding M. "Retrospective case series on patients with chronic spinal pain treated with dextrose prolotherapy." J Altern Complement Med 2004: 10(4): 670-674
Yelland, M.J., Glasziou P.P., Bogduk N., Schluter P.J., McKernon M., Prolotherapy injections, saline injections, and exercises for chronic low-back pain: a randomized trial. Spine 2004 Jan 1;29(1):9-16. | 
